Sonoma State University Focuses on Partnerships to Drive Attendance
Joining forces with other on-campus organizations can help drive more attendance to your screening. Discover how Sonoma State University in California partners with faculty, outside organizations, film industry leaders and more to create an impactful social justice film series on campus.
When Mo Phillips, the Director of Student Relations at Sonoma State University, watched the 2017 Oscars, she was intrigued by all the diverse films nominated for top prizes. Thinking, “These are amazing films that we need to be talking about,” that little seed in her head grew into a Social Justice Film Series that – after three years on campus – is going strong with more than 10 films screened each year.
To launch the series, Phillips looked to existing programs on campus to easily grow her audience. “We have some different groups on campus that are living and learning communities for first-year students, and so we really tapped into them for the first series just trying to see how this might go and if they could use it as some of the activities they have to do for class. We also focused on other programs on campus and different lecture series that were already happening, like our queer lecture series and Africana lecture series. We reached out to them and the faculty to get them involved in the ‘educainment’ world as I like to call it.”
The faculty member or series’ representative typically discusses the importance of the topic before the film, then follows it up with a post-show discussion or panel to help students fully understand the film’s message and impact. Not only do these partnerships add value to the event, they also help boost attendance. “Everyone has their own way of going about it, but generally the idea was ‘get the students out’ while using these films where pop culture meets education to maybe learn something.”
“The faculty want to be involved in these co-curricular activities and events, and I can tell you the administration loves when those two can meet.” Mo Phillips
Phillips’ best advice for those hoping to collaborate more and build a network of partners is to simply start reaching out. Contact your dean for an email list of faculty, talk to students and clubs, and look at what classes are being taught that semester for ideas. If you have a particular person or organization in mind, ask them to meet up for coffee so you can share your ideas. “Yes, it takes a while to build a relationship, but this is how it starts,” Phillips said. “The faculty want to be involved in these co-curricular activities and events, and I can tell you the administration loves when those two can meet.”
And as your series establishes itself on campus, more opportunities will arise. In fact, some of Phillips’ most successful events “fell into her lap” because of familiarity with the series. For example, the campus was able to host the 40th anniversary screening of “Boulevard Nights” because someone knew Phillips and the series. And it grew from there. “At some point, someone gets on board that knows the director and cast, someone knows a low-rider club that wants to bring their cars, local restaurants wanted to donate food for the event … Pretty soon it moved from just a typical movie event to something much more. It was huge. City council members attended. It just grew into a real community event.”
“Even with small numbers you can still have a strong and thoughtful conversation, and that makes it worth it. It gives us a starting point for a conversation about things that are really difficult to talk about otherwise.” Mo Phillips
Another way Phillips boosts her chances for increased attendance is by selecting films based on what’s happening on campus. The more relevant the film, the better the audience size. Recently, she scheduled a screening of “Rocketman” during her campus’ Coming Out Week celebration. And beyond the title and event timing, it’s also important to target – and find partners for – your promotion tactics. “I go to peer leader training to talk about what’s coming up so they can use the events for their peer credits,” Phillips shared. “I also send an email out to all student leaders on campus that work with students as part of freshman interest groups or first-year experience classes.”
The result? Anywhere from 20 to 200 attendees. But no matter the crowd size, Phillips believes every event creates great value for those in attendance. “Even with small numbers you can still have a strong and thoughtful conversation, and that makes it worth it,” Phillips shared. “It gives us a starting point for a conversation about things that are really difficult to talk about otherwise. It’s been very cool to see how it’s grown, and I’m excited for the series’ future.”
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